Australian Government Studies new ways to restart cruising

[Blackduck59]

The City Council here in Victoria made a bunch of noise last year against the cruise ships. This year we got no cruise ships. A very stark lesson to the council.

[Aus Traveller]

4 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

The City Council here in Victoria made a bunch of noise last year against the cruise ships. This year we got no cruise ships. A very stark lesson to the council.

In the words of the song "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone."

[vozzie]

I would imagine places like Eden, Kangaroo Island, Burnie, Gladstone etc are feeling the hole left by the "Cruising Pause". A lot of money spent on infrastructure...that's not being used...nor paid for. Surely we can get Australian Ports-Only cruises going...with Australian-only passengers (and Kiwis if we must).... after appropriately quarantining and testing the crew.

[Porky55]

On 11/7/2020 at 3:22 PM, ekka49 said:

The problem is getting a full crew onboard that are virus free.

Then you have the regular crew rotations, which will also cause bigger

problems

i.e. Quarantine of new crew.

As to crews - aren’t they on 6 month contracts, so the ‘quarantine of new crew’ wouldn’t happen that often?
Aware that there will be rotating occasional crew arriving for emergency situations but surely the Cruise-lines can manage these few?

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, Porky55 said:

As to crews - aren’t they on 6 month contracts, so the ‘quarantine of new crew’ wouldn’t happen that often?
Aware that there will be rotating occasional crew arriving for emergency situations but surely the Cruise-lines can manage these few?

Most of the crew are on 8 or 9 month contracts with officers on shorter contracts.

[Porky55]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Most of the crew are on 8 or 9 month contracts with officers on shorter contracts.

Thought so, so once a ship had a Covid free crew - they should be clear for months.

As long as they follow all Covid protocols if they go ashore etc. sounds highly doable 👍 - crew ✔️

Edited November 9, 2020 by Porky55

[Aus Traveller]

6 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

Thought so, so once a ship had a Covid free crew - they should be clear for months.

As long as they follow all Covid protocols if they go ashore etc. sounds highly doable 👍 - crew ✔️

Yes. The main hurdle will be making sure no passengers have the virus when they board. It is fairly clear that a passenger took COVID onto the Ruby Princess. It has been determined that a passenger took the virus onto the Diamond. Keeping a cruiseship free from the virus will be much easier when there is an effective vaccine backed up by rapid testing.

[Porky55]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Keeping a cruiseship free from the virus will be much easier when there is an effective vaccine backed up by rapid testing.

Bring on March 2021 according to the Federal CMO 🤩

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

8 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Yes. The main hurdle will be making sure no passengers have the virus when they board. It is fairly clear that a passenger took COVID onto the Ruby Princess. It has been determined that a passenger took the virus onto the Diamond. Keeping a cruiseship free from the virus will be much easier when there is an effective vaccine backed up by rapid testing.

MSC, and one other line I think, seem to have managed it fairly well in Europe without a vaccine, and they had many more cases at the time.

 

With a vaccine and rapid testing it should be fairly safe.

[KirkNC]

You folks down under are in a much better position the we are to restart cruising.  I don’t think you can 100% ensure a virus free cruise but given your low infection rates, you stand a chance of minimizing an outbreak.

[MMDown Under]

On 11/9/2020 at 8:05 PM, KirkNC said:

You folks down under are in a much better position the we are to restart cruising.  I don’t think you can 100% ensure a virus free cruise but given your low infection rates, you stand a chance of minimizing an outbreak.

Yes cruising has a good chance of restarting if they limit it to NSW/Aust bubble, with some South Seas Islands added later.  All have very low infection rates. 

[KirkNC]

12 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Yes cruising has a good chance of restarting if they limit it to NSW/Aust bubble, with some South Seas Islands added later.  All have very low infection rates. 

Well goodluck!

[MMDown Under]

14 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Well goodluck!

Australia has just had 3 days without any positive virus cases, whilst Victoria has had 12 days.  Happy days.  Victoria was at 700 case prior to their lockdown and restrictions.  The Vic Premier and his team, as well as people of Victoria, should be proud of their achievements.  

[KirkNC]

37 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Australia has just had 3 days without any positive virus cases, whilst Victoria has had 12 days.  Happy days.  Victoria was at 700 case prior to their lockdown and restrictions.  The Vic Premier and his team, as well as people of Victoria, should be proud of their achievements.  

Congratulations, you have done amazingly well.  Unfortunately we are headed the other way, we had over 165,000 new cases today.  Hard to believe how badly we are doing.

[MMDown Under]

15 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Congratulations, you have done amazingly well.  Unfortunately we are headed the other way, we had over 165,000 new cases today.  Hard to believe how badly we are doing.

I am sad for America.  I have been following the virus in US and UK for a long time, as I visit both countries and have friends in both.  I can't believe the public doesn't understand the ramifications of not managing a pandemic.  My friends say the public wouldn't agree to a lockdown.  However, when there are 165,000 new cases a day surely there must be a tipping point when following the science makes sense.  We had the advantage of following what happened overseas before the virus came to Australia.  In addition we are an island.    

[Docker123]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Australia has just had 3 days without any positive virus cases, whilst Victoria has had 12 days.  Happy days.  Victoria was at 700 case prior to their lockdown and restrictions.  The Vic Premier and his team, as well as people of Victoria, should be proud of their achievements.  

Australia has had 3 days without community transmission.

 

However, there have been positive cases in quarantine. Including someone coming to join a cargo ship.

 

As most cases are now with Australians returning home, or others coming to Australia (or NZ) for approved purposes, it shows the weak point in the system.

 

This will continue to be a limiting factor in cruising returning. Ships bringing hundreds or thousands of crew are a thought that will provide a brake on re-starting.

 

[Aus Traveller]

31 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

Australia has had 3 days without community transmission.

However, there have been positive cases in quarantine. Including someone coming to join a cargo ship.

As most cases are now with Australians returning home, or others coming to Australia (or NZ) for approved purposes, it shows the weak point in the system.

This will continue to be a limiting factor in cruising returning. Ships bringing hundreds or thousands of crew are a thought that will provide a brake on re-starting.

 

To re-start cruising, maybe all crew will have to be vaccinated. If they spent at least 14 days in semi-isolation on the ship cruising to Australia, then had a COVID test, the government could be fairly confident they  would not be the cause of infections. If replacement crew were vaccinated, then spent 14 days in isolation at the cruise company's expense followed by a negative test, they should be OK.

 

Then we have the passengers. Maybe vaccinations, followed by a negative test before being allowed on board.

[MicCanberra]

I think that crews will need to quarantine and be totally COVID safe and then only Aussies allowed aboard after being tested. No internationals at all and only Kiwis if they have already been through a quarantine here.

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, Docker123 said:

Australia has had 3 days without community transmission.

However, there have been positive cases in quarantine. Including someone coming to join a cargo ship.

As most cases are now with Australians returning home, or others coming to Australia (or NZ) for approved purposes, it shows the weak point in the system.

This will continue to be a limiting factor in cruising returning. Ships bringing hundreds or thousands of crew are a thought that will provide a brake on re-starting.

Oops 3 days without community transmission. 

When Old Premier has her meetings for the press, I always thought she said you don't have to worry about the positive cases in quarantine (either Aussies arriving home, or crew on ships or in hospital).  I could have misunderstood. 

[eamondzhang]

For all cruise ships currently managed to restart, all crew apparently had a 30-day quarantine instead of 14 days.

I bet there's also multiple tests along the 30-day quarantine to make sure everyone is tested negative.

 

World Dream just restarted in Singapore after crewing from I think Malaysia, and Quantum of the Seas are quarantining in Singapore already prior to its December restart.

 

I can't see a reason why this can't be done down here to be all honest - and let the cruise company pay for the tests if they want to restart and get the cashflow. After that they can follow whatever protocol they have in place for other places (rapid testings just prior to embarkation at the terminal, masks, 50% capacity etc). Sometimes I feel it's just the lazy government really.

 

Michael